PRESS RELEASE

April 1, 2004

Contact:
Katie Sproles, (541) 346-0942, ksproles@darkwing.uoregon.edu


UO OFFICIAL WILL HELP SELECT ART FOR 'NO BOUNDARIES' SHOW

EUGENE-Lisa Abia-Smith, education director at the University of Oregon Museum of Art, will join a panel of experts to review entries for the 15th annual "No Boundaries" traveling art exhibit. The panel will select about 40 works by Pacific Northwest artists with disabilities.

The exhibition, created by VSA Arts of Washington (VSAWA), opens this fall in Seattle and will travel through five Western states.

Abia-Smith is a member of the first regional jury for the annual show that is seen by more than 57,000 people each year.

"No Boundaries" raises awareness by illustrating the contributions artists with disabilities make to the world of art. The artists who are showcased gain valuable exposure, build professional resumes and exhibition experience, and accelerate their artistic careers.

"I am honored by this nomination and believe it is important for the Museum of Art to align itself with groups such as VSA Arts, as we share a common mission to provide equal access to the arts," explains Abia-Smith.

VSAWA is an accredited affiliate of the Washington, D.C.-based VSA Arts, an international nonprofit organization founded in 1974 by Jean Kennedy Smith to promote education and lifelong learning opportunities in the arts for people with disabilities. Smith was U.S. ambassador to Ireland during the Clinton administration. She is a board member of the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation, which provides grants to promote awareness and advocacy in the field of mental retardation.

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